1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to an apparatus for temporomandibular joint-related corrections of tooth position, taking into account a variant of the registration or construction of the bite predetermined by the user.
2. Description of the Related Art
Temporomandibular joint-related corrections of tooth position have hitherto been performed using apparatuses for orthodontic treatment which are distinguished by their biomechanical characteristics. Different orthodontic treatment tasks are performed successively on patients. The treating professional or user must wait until a patient has reached the correct dentition age or the necessary level of functional-therapeutic progress in order for the next apparatus-based treatment technique to be applied.
In dentistry, functional therapy is understood to mean those measures intended to correct disorders of the neuromuscular and articular control of the masticatory system. To accomplish such corrections, suitable apparatuses are applied in the patient's oral cavity.
When biting, the position of the temporomandibular joints is defined exclusively by the contact between the teeth of the maxilla and mandible (occlusion contact). The possible movements of the mandible and of the temporomandibular joints are also determined by the geometry of the tooth surfaces when tooth contact occurs. Thus, if an impairment of the functioning of the musculature and joints resulting from missing or incorrectly positioned teeth requires treatment, apparatuses designed to therapeutically modify the occlusion process are used. Such apparatuses are usually made from spray-on plastic or a combination of a Miniplast splint with a plastic functional surface applied to it.
In functional orthodontic apparatuses, too, the position of the mandible with respect to the maxilla is altered. In general, such apparatuses are used in younger patients who are still growing and are in the mixed dentition stage. In addition to “bite blocks”, such “braces” have construction elements which generally act on the surrounding tissue structures by exerting displacement functions. Their influence on regulating tooth position is thus generally passive, and is expanded in most embodiments simply by means of wire spring elements and screws.
All prior art orthodontic apparatuses are designed only for limited portions of the orthodontic treatment spectrum, and can generally only be used for patients in particular age groups or with specific forms of dysgnathia (malformation of the masticatory organ).
A method and a device for incrementally moving teeth are known from DE 698 18 045 T2. Such aligner apparatuses (series of transparent foils for the gradual correction of tooth position) can implement orthodontic tooth movements on the basis of known setup methods.
The disadvantage of this is that only teeth and prosthetic teeth are enveloped. The thickness of the material used for the foils undesirably modifies the spatial relationship between maxilla and mandible which is aimed for in the case of the patient. This apparatus itself does not permit an almost freely selectable spatial support of the jaws in relation to each other.
A method for the computer-assisted manufacture of an orthodontic bite splint is known from DE 10 2009 009 916 A1, in which the bite splint has an upper masticatory surface with which the opposing jaw of a patient makes contact when the splint is in place.
The disadvantage of this is that, when installed, the known apparatus or bite splint only modifies the positional relationship between the maxilla and mandible. Such passive bite splints neither provide the treating professional with a diagnostic indication of pathological muscular hyperactivity nor do they permit the temporomandibular joint-related reconstruction of a healthy masticatory and joint system.
A passive bite spint is known from DE 10 2010 012 702 A1 in which a retention-forming part of the splint overlying the teeth is supplemented with a replaceable part oriented toward the opposing jaw. This part should have a “cranially concave calotte shape”.
This known apparatus or bite splint also has the above-mentioned drawbacks, and merely alters the spatial relationship between maxilla and mandible.
The task of the present invention is thus to create an apparatus which combines the biomechanical characteristics of groups of orthodontic apparatuses previously employed separately into a new overall apparatus-based and therapeutic strategy.